


A Penguin's Cup

by sabinelagrande



Category: Shirokuma Cafe | Polar Bear's Cafe, 逆転裁判 | Gyakuten Saiban | Ace Attorney
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Case 6-4: Turnabout Storyteller, Community: intoabar, First Meetings, Gen, Gyakuten Saiban 6 | Spirit of Justice Spoilers, Simon/Athena if you turn your head and squint, they live in California and by that I mean Japan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-08-24
Packaged: 2020-09-25 02:49:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20369419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sabinelagrande/pseuds/sabinelagrande
Summary: There's this rakugoka that Simon just has to meet.





	A Penguin's Cup

**Author's Note:**

> Written for intoabar 2019: Athena Cykes goes into a bar and meets... Penguin!
> 
> This is the most niche thing I have ever written, with an even more obscure title, but to be fair, that's one of the reasons I started intoabar in the first place.

Simon likes to make Athena feel like she's tagging along.

Athena is fully aware of this. He takes advantage of the fact that he's almost a foot taller than she is, his stride much longer, to outpace her. He does it just to be an asshole, and she knows he knows she knows this. He's only been doing it to her since she was five years old.

The thing is that it reminds Athena of the good times. Maybe her mother will pop around the corner, smiling one of her rare smiles at Athena trying to catch Simon with her short little legs. Metis was always stingy with her affection, but she seemed to show it to both of them when Simon did things like that.

But Metis isn't here, and Athena's not five, so she catches up and hooks her arm into Simon's. "Are you going to tell me where we're going?" she asks.

"No," Simon says. "You need to learn to live in the moment."

Athena rolls her eyes. "The day I need you to give me lessons on spontaneity is-"

"We're here," Simon tells her, turning off the sidewalk onto a path. At the end of it is a restaurant of some kind, with sort of an airy look to it. There are chairs and tables set on the porch, and a cheery sign out front says "Polar Bear's Cafe".

"Looks nice," Athena says, letting Simon lead her on. She lets him go so that he can open the door, holding it so she can go inside.

Athena only gets a few steps in before pulling up short, fast enough that Simon bumps into her. "They're all animals," she says.

"I know," Simon says. "Try not to cross-examine anyone."

Simon acts like he's been here before, though he's definitely never mentioned it to Athena; he walks over to the bar, which is lined with tall stools, one of which holds a full-out penguin.

"Penguin-san," Simon says, bowing.

"Uh, hello," the penguin says. "Can I help you?"

"I watched you on South Pole Squad Penguiners," Simon says, and Athena stifles a sigh. She has been introduced to some truly weird television since signing on with Wright, but South Pole Squad Penguiners is a whole other level. She'd actually thought the whole thing was CGI, but this is definitely the Evil Emperor, who is apparently an actual emperor penguin.

She wonders if that saves money or costs extra.

"Ah, a fan," Penguin says, puffing up a little. "Are you here for an autograph?"

"I'm here about your rakugo performance," Simon tells him. "Anyone can put together a show filmed in front of a screen. Rakugo is a real skill."

Athena does not mention that Simon is all but obsessive about shows like that; instead she eyes the only other human in the place. She's a kind-looking young woman, but she just smiles at Athena like she doesn't see what's wrong.

Simon and the penguin are now heavily into a conversation about comedic storytelling; Athena is trying to figure out what she should do when someone sets something down on the bar next to her, startling her. She looks up and is more startled, because there is a real live polar bear standing standing there.

"On the house," the polar bear says, and Athena realizes it's a glass of iced coffee.

"Oh, th-thanks," Athena says, picking up the glass and taking a sip; the taste is exquisite. "It's delicious."

"Shirokuma-kun," the penguin says. "Another cafe mocha for me and my friend. _He_ thinks my rakugo is good."

"The Toneido school needs another member like you," Simon tells him, a fire in his eyes. "After what happened to Taifu, they need to be bolstered."

"Like this?" Shirokuma says, holding up a toy pistol strapped into a case.

"That's holstered," Athena says.

"Or this?" Shirokuma says, suddenly holding an armful of kittens.

"I think those are fostered," Athena says.

"So this," Shirokuma says, balancing a chair in one hand.

"That's upholstered," Athena says.

"Shirokuma-kun, that really only works in visual media," Penguin says in a longsuffering voice, and Shirokuma just shrugs.

"You don't think this is nearly weird enough," Athena says to Simon.

"You work for Phoenix Wright," Simon says.

"You mean the one who brought a radio to court and cross-examined it?" the human woman asks.

"I heard he had amnesia and became a baker," a llama at a nearby table says.

"That's Ora's friend!" a very cute panda who is attempting to get on the stool next to Athena says.

Athena sighs, sipping her iced coffee. "May I see a menu?"


End file.
